On this day in 1956, English football player Stanley Matthews was awarded the inaugural Ballon d’Or, an annual award for the world’s best football player.

The last time a player from England won the award was when Liverpool’s Michael Owen took out the top gong in 2001.

7
The number of years that the world’s top tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz, spent under the guidance of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Last night, Alcaraz announced via social media that he and his long-time coach would be parting ways. The pair had been together since Alcaraz was 15, with Ferrero coaching the Spaniard through six Grand Slam titles. BBC Sport reported Ferrero did not want to leave the role. The 22-year-old will now attempt to complete a career Grand Slam in Melbourne next month without the mentor who has guided his entire professional career.

"I'm back. I'm f**king back."
Australian boxer Tim Tszyu speaking after defeating American Anthony Velazquez in a unanimous points decision in Sydney last night. Before his bout with Velazquez, Tszyu had lost three of his past four fights.

The ‘Sunshine Double’ is a term in tennis used to describe the achievement of winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open tournaments back-to-back. Only 11 singles players and 23 doubles pairs have ever achieved the feat. 10 of the 11 singles players are also Grand Slam champions. Only three players have completed a ‘Sunshine Double’ more than once. They are Novak Djokovic (four times), Roger Federer (three), and Steffi Graf (twice). 

Matildas captain Sam Kerr scored a crucial goal to help Chelsea into the quarter-finals of Europe’s most prestigious club tournament, the Women’s Champions League. With scores tied, Kerr netted a header in a 2-1 comeback victory over German side Wolfsburg. The result means Chelsea avoids a risky playoff round and advances straight to the final eight.

In the Big Bash last night, the Adelaide Strikers upset the Sydney Sixers, claiming a three-wicket win in the final over. Chasing 160, late hitting from Jamie Overton (30) and a fifty from Liam Scott secured the Strikers' first victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 2017. It leaves the Sixers winless after their first two matches of the season. Despite a stunning one-handed catch from Daniel Hughes, the home side faltered, with star import Babar Azam managing just nine runs in another disappointing outing.

Former Sydney Roosters captain Jake Friend has appeared in Burwood Local Court after police applied for an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) against him, according to reports from The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald. The application relates to an alleged incident at his home weeks ago. An ADVO is not a criminal charge. Friend, who currently leads the Roosters’ junior academy, had the matter adjourned until 19 February. The 35-year-old played 264 NRL games and won three premierships before retiring in 2021.

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England head coach Brendon McCullum has lodged an official complaint with International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe after a critical technology error marred Day 1 of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

Here’s what to know.

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey was batting and survived a review while on 72 runs, despite replays suggesting his bat made contact with the ball. Given that wicketkeeper Jamie Smith caught the ball behind the stumps, Carey should have been out.

The third umpire upheld the not-out call because the Snicko spike appeared before the ball passed the bat. Technology provider BBG later admitted an operator error, confirming that the wrong stump microphone audio was processed.

Carey capitalised on the second chance, scoring 106 runs to bring up his third Test century and help Australia set a first innings total of 326. He later admitted he "thought there was a bit of a feather," while England bowling coach David Saker slammed the technology, claiming calibration has been "out quite a bit" all series.

Following the late-night meeting, match officials have reinstated one of England’s reviews for Day 2.

The Real Time Snickometer (Snicko) uses microphones inside the stumps to detect sound. It synchronises the audio from the microphones with slow-motion video to determine if the ball made contact with the bat. A visual "spike" on the audio graph confirms an edge.

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The 2026 Formula 1 season brings the biggest changes to the sport in years. 

The cars are being redesigned, new teams are joining, and the rules of racing are shifting to be more environmentally friendly and competitive.

Here’s what to expect.

The new cars will be smaller and lighter than the current models to make them more agile. The biggest change is in the engine. While they still use fuel, they will run on 100% sustainable fuel. 

The power system is also changing: the engine will now generate about 50% of its power from electricity, a huge increase from the current 20%.

The sport is removing its current overtaking aid (DRS), which allowed cars to open a wing flap for extra speed. Instead, two new features are being added:

Next year, the grid will expand from 10 to 11 teams. American giant Cadillac is joining the sport with veteran drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. German manufacturer Audi is also entering, taking over the existing Sauber team.

In terms of drivers, the Red Bull junior team (Racing Bulls) has signed 18-year-old British rookie Arvid Lindblad. He is skipping several steps on the usual career ladder to race in F1 immediately.

The season will still begin in Australia in March. The major change to the schedule is in Spain, adding a race at a brand-new street track in Madrid. The Barcelona race is still on the calendar for June, while there will not be a race at the Italian track at Imola, in Emilia-Romagna.